Issue #2 hurts us all

October 9, 2011

Issue #2 is an affront to our professionalism and an attack on our integrity. The latest Pro-Senate Bill 5 ads are portraying teachers as getting paid to just show up on the job. One ad even features a teacher. He just happens to be the chair of a local county political party.

Help stop this campaign! Vote NO on Issue #2.

When you vote “NO,” you bring down SB 5 which does us all great harm. The law eliminates our right to bargain over class size, restricts our consideration of longevity and use of step increases and limits the amount of sick leave you can accumulate. It prohibits new continuing contracts, requires merit-based pay, eliminates the right to strike and caps severance pay. If parties are unable to reach agreement on a contract, the public employer can choose to implement its own best offer.

Ask everyone who cares about you and public education to take action. Visit www.weareohio.com and look under “events” to find a canvassing activity or rally to take part in. You can search and sort by location and date. The most effective way to answer this attack is with a massive volunteer canvass this weekend to set the record straight.

You also can create your own account on the site and use it to inform your friends and family about the damage being caused by Senate Bill 5. This detrimental law:

Makes it easier for politicians to continue to cut public school funding, which will lead to larger class sizes and less individual attention for our students.

Silences the voices of school nurses, teachers, bus drivers, custodians and school employees who help keep our students safe.

Removes protections against favoritism in layoffs, transfers and other important personnel decisions. If teachers speak up against bad policies, bureaucrats could retaliate by reassigning them to other grades or buildings, thereby punishing educators and hurting students.

Forces local school districts to base at least 50 percent of teachers’ compensation on student test scores, a method that is rejected by education experts and parents alike because it’s inaccurate, invalid and doesn’t work.

Forces teachers to do even more standardized testing–taking the focus away from classroom learning, forcing teachers and schools to teach to the test and take a one-size-fits-all approach to student learning.

During his campaign, John Kasich said he wanted to “break the back of teachers unions”; and, as governor, he pushed Senate Bill 5 and Issue #2 to do just that. But Ohio’s educators are coming together to stand up against Issue #2. Together, we can repeal Senate Bill 5!